DECEMBER 2, 2020

(Photo © Andy Hone/Motorsport Images)    
Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) won a wild Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir, round 15 of the Formula 1 World Championship, in a race that had to be restarted following a horrific, fiery first-lap crash involving Romain Grosjean (No. 8 Haas F1 Team). Grosjean, 34, scrambled to get out of his burning car for almost half a minute before eventually leaping away and into the arms of Formula One doctor, Englishman Ian Roberts, one of the first men on the scene. Grosjean moved to his right at the third corner of the opening lap, before hitting the left-front wheel of Daniil Kvyat (No. 26 Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda) and then veering off and penetrating a steel barrier at 140mph. The force of the impact, which registered at 53G, split his machine in two. Grosjean's cockpit instantly burst into flames, and the sport held its breath as television cameras cut hastily away from the extraordinary accident and the race was immediately stopped. After a number of minutes, Grosjean's Haas team mercifully reported that their driver was out of the cockpit. He was then pictured sitting in the medical car before limping toward an ambulance, aided by Roberts and medical car driver Alan Van Der Merwe. He had leapt out of his burning machine with his racing boot missing from his left foot. Grosjean was airlifted to the BDF Military Hospital, ten miles north of the Bahrain International Circuit, with burns to his hands and ankles and suspected broken ribs. It is also understood he might have broken a bone in his foot following one of the biggest accidents in Formula One's recent memory. "It is a miracle he is alive," said 1996 world champion Damon Hill, whose Williams teammate Ayrton Senna perished at the San Marino Grand Prix 26 years ago. Hamilton, who was leading the race at the time of the incident, was seen shaking his head as he watched a replay of the jaw-dropping accident from inside the Mercedes garage as the grand prix was suspended. Seven-time world champion Hamilton tweeted: "I'm so grateful Romain is safe. Wow. The risk we take is no joke, for those of you out there that forget that we put our life on the line for this sport and for what we love to do. Thankful to the FIA for the massive strides we've taken for Romain to walk away from that safely." Speaking after the race, Hamilton reflected: "It was such a shocking image to see. When I get in the car, I know that I am taking a risk and I respect the dangers. I don't know what G he pulled but I am just so grateful the halo worked and the barrier didn't slice his head off or something. It could have been so much worse. But this is a reminder that this is a dangerous sport. We are pushing to the limit, but you have to respect it. That accident will be investigated and there will be a lot of work put in to make sure it doesn't happen again." There will now be question marks as to how Grosjean's car managed to penetrate a steel barrier. But the halo device – the driver-cockpit protection system controversially introduced in 2018 – appears to have played a major role in the Frenchman's remarkable escape. South African Van Der Merwe praised the safety measures the sport has taken. "We just took a little time to process what was going on," he said. "I am sure it was only a second or so but it felt like ages and then Romain started to get out of the car himself which was pretty amazing after an accident like that. There was some relief when we got back here and he was OK. It just goes to show that all the systems we developed worked hand in hand, the halo, the barriers, the seat belt, everything worked how it should and without just one of those things, it could have been a very different outcome." After a 90-minute stoppage, the race was restarted, but there was further drama after just eight corners when Lance Stroll (No. 18 BWT Racing Point F1 Team) was flipped upside down. Kvyat attempted to pass the Canadian driver at the right-handed turn eight, but turned Stroll upside down. Stroll clambered out of his cockpit, reporting that he was "OK" over the radio, and the safety car was deployed. Kvyat was hit with a 10-second penalty, while Stroll was given the all-clear following a visit to the medical center. Hamilton completed two regulation stops for new tires and comfortably kept Max Verstappen (No. 33 Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda) who finished second, at bay. Hamilton has now led more laps this season than of any year in his F1 career, while claiming his 11th victory of 2020. If he wins the final two rounds - in Bahrain next Sunday and at the season-decider in Abu Dhabi on December 13 - he will match Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel's joint record for the most number of victories in a year. Sergio Perez (No. 11 BWT Racing Point F1 Team) was denied a podium after an engine failure just three laps from the end. Alexander Albon (No. 23 Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda) finished third as the race ended under the safety car following Perez's retirement. (Many thanks to Phil Duncan from The Telegraph for his excellent reporting from the scene in Bahrain.)
(AFP/Bryn Lennon)
Romain Grosjean's (No. 8 Haas F1 Team) crash in the Bahrain Grand Prix took everyone's breath away.

(Richard Prince photo for Corvette Racing)

Corvette Racing’s driver lineup for its No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R will have a significantly different look for the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with the additions of sports car stars Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims alongside long-time Corvette driver Tommy Milner. Tandy – from Bedford, England – steps into the role held by Oliver Gavin, who stepped away from full-time driving after 19 years with the program. A winner at practically every major sports car race around the world - primarily with Porsche - Tandy joins a full-season lineup that already includes nine IMSA Drivers Championships and 42 race wins with Corvette Racing. Tandy owns 15 career IMSA victories – all in GT racing – and has won the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans. In addition, he is a past overall winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring and the 24 Hours of Spa. Sims - from Alcester in England - is a five-time winner in IMSA competition during a brief but successful two-year, full-season stint in 2017 and 2018. He has a victory at Petit Le Mans to his credit, along with 24-hour wins at Spa and the Nürburgring, as well as two career starts at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The British pair join Milner, now Corvette Racing’s most experienced full-season driver. The two-time IMSA Drivers Champion boasts 15 victories with the program, including wins at Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring, among others. Milner has been a key component in testing and development of the Corvette C8.R and will begin his 10th year as part of Corvette Racing. Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor - the reigning GTLM Drivers champions - will team again in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R with Nicky Catsburg back for another season with the pair for the team’s long-distance events in IMSA. Catsburg and Sims will be part of the program’s events for the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans. All six drivers will focus on bringing improvements to the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, which won six races and swept the full-season GTLM championships. In addition, the C8.R claimed seven pole positions and posted fastest GTLM race lap at six events. Corvette Racing will open its 2021 season with the Roar Before the 24 from Jan. 22-24 and the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30-31.